Open Office– It’s like MS Office, but it’s not. Not only is it free, it’s also compatible with different file types. You don’t have to worry if your Professor uses Keynote or Powerpoint for their slides or Word or Wordperfect for their notes. Another plus is the fact it’s one step more of getting out of the clutches of Microsoft.

Evernote– I currently use MS OneNote. It has been extremely useful in my note taking during undergrad and law school. Instead of having click through several Word documents during a class, I just have on folder open that’s subdivided between briefs, notes, and outline. Very nice. Very easy. Had I known about Evernote when I made the decision to fork over $100 for OneNote, I would have gone with Evernote. It has the same features as OneNote and it’s free. Get it. You’ll thank me later.